Skaneateles girls hoops win streak ends at 10

Hot run halted in 54-52, OT defeat at Cazenovia

Skaneateles guard Sarah Tomlinson (21) takes a free throw in last Tuesday night's game at Solvay. Finishing with eight points, Tomlinson helped the Lakers beat the Bearcats 52-28 for its 10th win in a row, though that win streak would end two nights later in a 54-52 overtime defeat to Cazenovia.
Bob Atkinson

Just when folks were starting to notice that the Skaneateles girls basketball team was as sharp and strong as any unit in all of Section III, much less Class B or the OHSL Liberty division, its 10-game win streak ground to a halt.

And it happened in, of all places, Buckley Gym, against a Cazenovia team Skaneateles had routed earlier this season. The rematch Thursday night turned out different, though, as the visiting Lakers could not hold a lead late in regulation and lost, 54-52, in overtime.

Even with Cazenovia's gradual improvement, few imagined that Skaneateles would get toppled, especially since that 10-game win streak included, on Dec. 12, a 60-29 decimation of Cazenovia.

None of this history mattered, though, once the ball tipped off in the rematch. Cazenovia showed, in the early going, that it could at least hang around, only trailing 10-9 after one period. Things got worse for the visitors when Skaneateles' top forward, Joanna Dobrovosky, went to the bench with her third foul early in the second quarter.

At first, Skaneateles wasn’t affected, building a 24-17 lead, but Cazenovia closed the half fast, with Kelsi Fredericks' 3-pointer capping a 9-1 run that created a 26-25 halftime lead. Before the night was done, Fredricks would be heard from again.

Again, Skaneateles tried to take control during the third period, going up by six, 39-33. Again, Cazenovia made its way back, turning to its defense to frustrate the Lakers throughout the final quarter.

With less than two minutes left, Cazenovia reclaimed the lead, 43-42, and then the two sides traded points in the homestretch of regulation. They were tied, 45-45, when Dobrovosky, who had just seven points for the night, fouled out with 21 seconds left.

Given a chance to move ahead, Audrey Burbidge missed both free throws, but once more Cazenovia's defense made up for it, preventing Skaneateles from a winning basket, so at 45-45 the two Laker rivals took their battle to overtime.